CRUISE THE GORDON RIVER

Welcome to the Gordon River

Cruising the majestic Gordon River feels like stepping into a mystical realm, deep in an ancient forest on the very edge of the world.

The incomparable Gordon River begins its grand journey in Tasmania’s wild Central Highlands, passing through some of the state’s most rugged country as it snakes its way west towards the mouth of Macquarie Harbour and the seaside town of Strahan.

The famous reflections found on the Gordon River are made possible by its glassy, mill-pond surface and deep inky colour – bringing to mind a slug of fine old whisky, or perhaps a cup of weak black tea. This dark, moody, broody aspect is a defining feature of the icy waterways throughout Tasmania’s southwest, stained by tannins leaching into the water from the button grass, tea-tree scrub and rainforest carpeting the riverbanks.

Thick moss-draped rainforest and swirling morning mist blanket the steep gorges flanking the river, all the way down to the dark water’s edge.

Breathe in the serenity and the crisp, clean air as you silently sail along the river’s path, into the gloriously untamed western wilderness.

Cruising the Gordon River

The best way to experience the magic is by boat. Two cruise companies depart Strahan daily – Gordon River Cruises at 8.30am, and World Heritage Cruises at 9am.

World Heritage Cruises is a family-owned business that has been taking passengers to Macquarie Harbour and Gordon River since 1896. Today, the Grining family operates a spacious and comfortable catamaran, Harbour Master II. Their cruise features engaging onboard commentary about the area’s human history, ecology and geology, enriched by anecdotes from the Grining family’s vast experiences of cruising this iconic river.

Gordon River Cruises runs the Spirit of the Wild – a catamaran that has been purpose-built for cruising in the sensitive environment of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. It’s equipped with both diesel and electric motors, to allow whisper-quiet gliding along the water. As you enter the Gordon River, the diesel engines are turned off… and the world slips into silence.

Each cruise takes about six hours, and includes an onboard lunch featuring gourmet local produce. From late December to mid-January, both companies also offer an afternoon cruise, with onboard dinner.

Both companies’ cruises include a stop at Heritage Landing, for an immersive, fragrant rainforest walk. Weave through thickets of mossy Tasmanian blackwood, leatherwood, native plum, sassafras and myrtle, along a flat, elevated boardwalk with a wooden railing. Run your hands over a cross-section of Huon pine – the real wonder of the forest. With feathery-looking leaves and sweetly scented golden timber, these pines are highly prized for shipbuilding and furniture making. Uniquely Tasmanian, it’s a tree that grows only a millimetre or two a year, and can be found nowhere else on earth. Some of the specimens found here were born in the Bronze Age!

Complete your journey through time with a tour of Sarah Island, an infamous former penal colony – and a visit to notorious Hells Gates.

The journey

Both cruises depart from Strahan, which once upon a time operated as Tasmania’s second-largest port. Your adventure begins as you cross the Macquarie Harbour, a body of water six times larger than Sydney Harbour. You’ll then edge your way towards the narrow and notoriously shallow harbour entrance, known to early convicts as Hell’s Gates, where the relatively calm, sheltered waters of the harbour meet the wild Southern Ocean.

Here you’ll experience the unleashed power of the Southern Ocean as your boat gently rises and falls in the swells. Never fear - these twin-hull craft are extremely stable and have been designed to cope with whatever the capricious ocean throws at them.

Hells Gates was the name given to the channel by convicts who rightly regarded it as their point of ‘entrance to Hell’. The ‘Hell’ they referred to was the dreaded Macquarie Harbour Penal Station on Sarah (PRON: ‘seh-ra’ like the name) Island, to which they were being banished; lashed by wild, cold, miserably wet weather; and imprisoned by a seemingly impenetrable forest.

Weather permitting, World Heritage Cruises will also take you to the Cape Sorell Lighthouse, where you’ll feel the roaring power of the surging seas.

Step ashore on Sarah (PRON: ‘seh-ra’ like the name) Island, Tasmania’s first and most brutal penal settlement, described as a place of degradation, depravity and woe. Wander among the ruins of the penitentiary, bakehouse, tannery and the commandant’s slipway, while your expert guides regale you with stories that will make your hair stand on end.

As the years went on, those seasoned convicts somehow transformed ‘hell on earth’ in this small penal outpost into the largest shipbuilding yard in the British colonies, hewing vessels out of locally felled Huon pine. It’s a surprising story of redemption, if ever there was one, delivering history with a twist.

Accessibility

Strahan is a 300-kilometre drive from Hobart, a journey that will take a little over four hours. From Launceston, it’s 270 kilometres, taking about three-and-a-half hours by car.

There is no quick public transport route from Hobart to Strahan. Passengers need to travel via Launceston and Burnie, with the trip taking almost 13 hours. The bus leaves the Hobart Transit Centre each morning from Wednesdays to Sundays. Buses also depart during the afternoon on Sundays and Mondays, but this option necessitates an overnight stop in Devonport.

Several tour companies include a Gordon River cruise as part of their multi-day Tasmanian tour itineraries, including AAT Kings, and the 3 Day Western Explorer tour by Great Expeditions. Please contact the operators directly to discuss your requirements and determine if these options meet your needs.

Both cruising vessels are wheelchair accessible, including the bathroom facilities. Dog guides are welcome onboard.